A FAMILY owned care home company has been thanked after paying for a vital piece of medical equipment.

Derek Harker, 83, a resident at Colten Care’s Avon Reach home in Mudeford, Dorset, presented a new pulse oximeter to Bransgore Community First Responders (BCFR), telling co-ordinator Mike Jukes: “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for people like you.”

Colten Care, which has 20 quality care homes in Hampshire, Dorset, Sussex and Wiltshire, offered to pay for the £300 oximeter after Ruth Wildman, Avon Reach’s Home Manager, saw a BCFR appeal.

The oximeter, which monitors the amount of oxygen in the body, will be used by the 12-strong Bransgore team to assess a patient’s condition before the ambulance service professionals arrive.

Presenting the equipment Mr Harker, who lived in Bransgore before moving to Avon Reach, said he had received treatment from the responders on several occasions.

He added: “I can only say ‘thank you very much’ for the wonderful work you do.”

Mr Jukes said the Masimo Rad-5 oximeter would make a lot of difference.

“We’re very grateful to Colten Care for your generosity,” he added.

Community First Responders are volunteers trained to attend emergency medical calls and provide care until the ambulance arrives.

Often the first on the scene, their role, especially in rural areas, is vital in providing immediate life-saving treatment.